The General Manager of Samoa’s Ministry of Health, Leausa Take Naseri is encouraging the public to prioritize taking their second jab of the COVID-19 vaccine.
At a media briefing, Leausa expressed concern about the gap between individuals who have received their first dose and those who are fully vaccinated.
“If we look at the 37,524 who have completed their second doses, its percentage gap from those who have taken their first is huge,” he said.
“We’re not sure if some of them have forgotten or are just late to their second dose appointments.
“Hence, we encourage our people to take your (COVID-19) vaccinations because we have noticed that our second dose is a bit slow.”
Majority of the imported and donated COVID-19 injections expire in less than a year according to Leausa.
To date, 46,238 males and 41,198 females have completed their first vaccinations which is 71.8 per cent of the eligible population.
20,115 males and 17,409 females have taken their second jabs which is 30.8 percent of the eligible population which excludes breastfeeding women and cancer patients.
It is undeniable that social media has influenced the decision of the citizens towards taking their jabs due to online threats about risks of the injections.
However, the Health chief as well as the Chairman of the National Emergency Operation Center (NEOC), Agafili Shem Leo encouraged and ensured members of the pubic that the vaccines are totally safe.
“Majority of the deceased in overseas countries are people who have not completed their vaccinations,” Leausa said.
“Hence, we encourage our people to get vaccinated if you really love our nation.”
New Zealand’s Delta variant situation has forced Samoa to postpone a flight scheduled to arrive this week Thursday which was meant to repatriate Samoans from New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Samoa is pushing its door-to-door vaccination campaign to cover 130,000 of the eligible population.
Photo supplied Caption: Samoa’s Ministry of Health, Leausa Take Naseri